In Face Value: The Hidden Ways Beauty Shapes Women’s Lives, I thoughtfully examine the relationship between appearance and science, social media, sex, friendship, language, and advertising to show how beauty affects us day-to-day. Through meticulous research and interviews, I reveal surprising findings—like that wearing makeup can relax you, that you can convince people you’re better-looking just by tweaking your personality, and the ways that beauty can be a powerful tool of connection among women.

So much of the serious talk about women and beauty focuses on the negative stuff: the never-ending pressure of the beauty standard, and the ways that shapes our self-image for the worse. Face Value doesn’t gloss over those concerns, but it brings that same level of critical energy and rigorous thought to aspects of beauty that are more beneficial to women. It’s a thoughtful treatment of a topic often written off as frivolous—but that so many women know is anything but.